FC Thun Defeats Winterthur and Extends Winning Streak in Super League

FC Thun secured another victory, its ninth in a row, in the Swiss Super League, defeating FC Winterthur 3:0 away. The match of the 26th round, originally scheduled for Saturday, was played on Wednesday because the condition of the pitch at the Schützenwiese stadium made play impossible. Super League posed no problems for the leader, despite missing several scoring opportunities in the first half. The breakthrough came shortly after the restart. In the 55th minute, following a move set up by Valmir Matoshi, Ethan Meichtry found the net, scoring his eighth goal of the season. Just four minutes later, in the 59th minute, after another move involving Matoshi, Elmin Rastoder added his name to the scoresheet, doubling the visitors' lead. It was noted that the uneven and worn-out condition of the pitch in the penalty area helped Rastoder's shot, confusing Winterthur's goalkeeper, Stefano Kapino. The final score, 3:0, was set by Kastriot Imeri in the 83rd minute. The football Super League in Switzerland has been operating since 2003, replacing the previous Nationalliga A. For many years, dominance was shared between clubs from Basel and Zurich, such as FC Basel and Grasshopper Club. Thun's promotion to the top division in 2010 introduced a new, strong player to the Swiss football scene.The victory allowed the team led by coach Mauro Lustrinelli to solidify its position as leader. Thun now has a 14-point lead over second-placed St. Gallen and a 15-point lead over third-placed Lugano. Such an advantage with ten rounds remaining in the season puts the team from Berner Oberland in a very comfortable position in the fight for what would be the club's first-ever Swiss championship title. „Cela commence à sentir très bon dans l'Oberland dans l'optique d'un inédit titre de champion.” (It's starting to smell very good in Oberland with the prospect of an unprecedented championship title.) — Mauro Lustrinelli Winterthur's situation is diametrically opposite. The club, managed by Patrick Rahmen, occupies the last, 12th place in the table and failed to capitalize on a home match to lift itself off the bottom. After this defeat, Winterthur is seven points behind Grasshopper Zurich, which occupies the 11th place qualifying for the relegation playoffs. The gap to the safe, tenth position of Servette Geneva is already 14 points, which severely complicates its chances of staying in the league. Head-to-head encounters this season also offer little optimism – Thun won 3:0 at home in October and 4:1 away in December. Winterthur's last league victory over Thun occurred in February, four years ago.